January 5, 2014 1:27pm ESTJanuary 5, 2014 1:27pm ESTWhy did Blake Wheeler make the U.S. Olympic team over Bobby Ryan? Agree with the decision-making process or not, it's not tough to understand.Blake Wheeler, left, had 10 goals in December.(AP Photo)

That's to say, it was hard to believe Ryan was selected over him. That's no real slight to the Winnipeg Jets winger, who had 10 goals in December, but Ryan has more goals over the last six seasons than any American not named Patrick Kane. The fact that he wasn't on the team, as noted everywhere by everyone, was shocking, and people were looking for answers.

"It's kind of surreal, to be honest," Wheeler told reporters on Thursday. "Just playing in the NHL was kind of above and beyond dreams that I had growing up. It was pretty special for myself and for my wife and my family, so it was a pretty big day."

In hindsight, though, the choice shouldn't have been all that shocking. Throughout the process, everyone associated with Team USA has preached skating ability. Disagree with that rationale and the extents to which it was taken if you want. In Ryan's case, that's more than fair — but Wheeler's skillset is directly in line the U.S. philosophy. Coach Dan Bylsma, whose Pittsburgh Penguins played the Jets on Sunday, said as much.

"Blake has that, and you see it every time you watch him play — his skating ability, his size at 6'5, being able to skate, and (being) an offensive guy that can score goals and almost do it on his own with how fast he can skate," Bylsma said.

A note: Based on ability alone, Ryan Callahan and Paul Stastny's spots should've been in doubt, as outlined by Travis Yost earlier this week. Callahan, deservedly, is part of the team's "leadership committee" and, less deservedly these days, carries the reputation of a defensive forward. Stastny, meanwhile, is also a USA Hockey favorite and benefited from both David Poile's five-center mandate and the braintrust's penalty-killing forward fetish. Those guys were going to make the team no matter what.

So, with regards to Ryan over Wheeler: One problem for anyone trying to fully understand the decision is that skating ability is tough to quantify. Wheeler certainly has more of it than Ryan, but Ryan outpaces Wheeler where it counts most, even of you only take this season into account: goals per 60 minutes of play (1.056 to 0.820) and assists/60 (1.584 to 1.026).

Corsi percentage is a wash: Winnipeg takes 50.9 percent of all even-strength shot attempts while Wheeler is on the ice. The Senators are at 50.5 with Ryan. In score-close situations (when the game is tied or within one goal in the first and second periods or tied in the third), Wheeler is at 50.1 percent and Ryan at 47.7. Ryan's scoring, though, has always outpaced his puck-possession metrics.

What it comes down to: the U.S. believes Wheeler's (non-"sleepy") skating makes him a better fit on the larger ice and the bottom six. Ryan needed to beat out Kane, Zach Parise, Phil Kessel and James van Riemsdyk to secure a spot on the top two lines, and he didn't. Because of that, he started competing against players like Wheeler and T.J. Oshie, and at that point, his scoring ability, like it or not, was less relevant.

Throw in Wheeler's hot December (he's got 15 goals and 16 assists on the season), and the die was cast.

"He's a dangerous guy with a dangerous shot, and you add that to skating and size, and that put him on the map," Bylsma said.

And take this with a grain of salt, but Bylsma says Wheeler won't necessarily be grind-only in Sochi.

"We talked to Blake this summer: Could he be slotted up in the lineup? Could he be on a power play? Could he be a fourth-line right wing guy on our team, and be effective in those roles? I think he could do all those things," Bylsma said.